Matt Rhule makes College Football Playoff the clear goal for Nebraska in 2025

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule wasn’t shy about his goals for the program this season: making the College Football Playoff. It would be quite a jump compared to his first two seasons with the Huskers.

But to be fair, Rhule’s Year 3 magic is real considering what he did at Temple and Baylor. Nebraska returned to the postseason last year and it was a welcome sight for those fans in Lincoln.

But the goals are bigger now. Making it to the dance is what Rhule wants and he was honest about making that goal. Hey, 10 wins can get you in and once you’re in, anything can happen.

“I want to get to the College Football Playoff,” Rhule said on the first episode of House Rhules. “I mean, that’s why we’re doing all this, right? Like, you’re doing all of this to have a chance to get to the College Football Playoff. And so I think what’s really unique, what’s interesting is, like, you look at Ohio State last year, my boy Ryan Day, former Temple Owl Ryan Day, right … When was the last time you lose the last game of the regular season you can make it into the playoffs? It’s never happened before. You can finish 10-2 … and the great job he did of getting him into the playoffs. 

“And so for me, what I saw last year was like, hey, just get your guys to the tournament. So that’s our goal. Man, like, I mean, we want to be a great team. We want to win every game, we want to make people proud. We want to play the game the right way. There’s a lot of other things, but, you know, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that. We want to go to the CFP, because once you get in, man, who knows what can happen? It’s the team that’s the hottest that makes it happen.”

Rhule is 12-13 in two seasons, so it’s easy to see where his statement might seem a little nuts. But is it really? 

Dylan Raiola goes into his sophomore season after a productive freshman year, albeit with growing pains. He has a highly intelligent OC in Dana Holgorsen and the defense should be a very cohesive unit.

Coupled with a relatively easy schedule compared to other Big Ten teams, Rhule’s goal of the College Football Playoff might not be too far-fetched. It all gets underway Thursday when the Huskers visit Cincinnati.